NPR: TSA Praised for Latest Warning on Terrorist Dry-Runs

TSA Praised for Latest Warning on Terrorist Dry-Runs

It's amazing what finding a block of cheese can do for your reputation. In the case of the Transportation Security Administration, it's won it praise from security experts, politicians and even longtime critics.

On Wednesday, CBS News/AP reported that TSA recently sent out a routine advisory to the nation's airport security workers, warning them to be on watch for terrorists doing dry-runs. The advisory was prompted by four recent seizures of possible bomb-like ingredients in people's luggage. In one case, a bag "contained wire coil wrapped around a possible initiator, an electrical switch, batteries, three tubes and two blocks of cheese."

Block cheese is of interest to TSA because it has a consistency similar to some explosives.

These seizures elicited praise even from longtime critics, who say this shows that TSA has matured beyond seizing scissors and cigarette lighters, AP reports. "This is what TSA should be doing whether it turns out to be a whole bunch of harmless coincidences or part of a plot," said James Carafano, a security expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation who in the past called for TSA's abolition.

The cheese, by the way, turned out to be a false alarm in at least once case. But that really doesn't matter to Brian Jenkins, a RAND Corp. terrorism expert. "I'm glad they are picking up these things whatever they turn out to be. The TSA did their job. The police did their job. No sweat."

9:51 AM ET | 07-26-2007 | permalink

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